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Vincent Cassel

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Vincent Cassel
Cassel in 2018
Born
Vincent Crochon

(1966-11-23) 23 November 1966 (age 58)
Paris, France
Citizenship
  • France
  • Brazil (until 2018)[1]
OccupationActor
Years active1987–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2013)​

Tina Kunakey
​
​
(m. 2018; sep. 2023)​
Children3 (including Deva Cassel)
Parents
Relatives

Vincent Cassel (French: [vɛ̃sɑ̃ kasɛl]; né Crochon [kʁɔʃɔ̃]; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He has earned a César Award and a Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Cassel first achieved recognition for his performance as a troubled Jewish youth in Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film La Haine (Hate) for which he received two César Award nominations. He also garnered attention for Gaspar Noé's film Irréversible (2002) which he acted in and co-produced. He received the César Award for Best Actor for his role as the criminal Jacques Mesrine in Mesrine (2008). His other César-nominated roles include Read My Lips (2001), Mon Roi (2015), It's Only the End of the World (2016), and The Specials (2019).

Cassel garnered recognition with English-speaking roles in Elizabeth (1998), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007), as well as Eastern Promises (2007), Black Swan (2010), and Jason Bourne (2016). In 2020, he appeared on the HBO series Westworld.

Early life and family

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Cassel was born in Paris, France, to journalist Sabine Litique and actor Jean-Pierre Cassel (born Jean-Pierre Crochon).[2][3] Cassel's brother, Mathias, is a rapper with the group Assassin under the name "Rockin' Squat".[4] His half-sister, Cécile Cassel, is also an actress.[5]

Career

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Early work in France (1990s)

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One of Cassel's first on-screen appearances was a bit part in a 1994 Renault Clio advert which was used in the UK.[4]

Cassel's breakthrough role was in Mathieu Kassovitz's critically acclaimed film La Haine (1995), in which he portrayed a troubled youth living in the deprived outskirts of Paris. For his role in La Haine, Cassel was nominated for two César Awards, for Best Actor and Most Promising Actor.[6]

Throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s, Cassel performed in a string of French films. In 1996, he starred opposite Monica Bellucci (before they married) in the moody French film L'Appartement.[4] The film was a critical success, winning a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and the first British Independent Film Award for the Best Film in a Foreign Language. The film was also a modest hit in France gaining 55,565 admissions its opening weekend and 152,714 admissions total.[7] Although the film was never released theatrically in the United States, it was released on DVD on 22 August 2006.

In 1998, he portrayed Henry, Duc d'Anjou in Elizabeth. In 1999, he portrayed Gilles de Rais in Luc Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. Other notable roles during this period of his career include the violent film Dobermann (1997), the genre-bending Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), and the highly controversial Irréversible (2002), where he appears fully nude (with Monica Bellucci, after they married).

Transition into English films (2000s)

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Cassel at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

Since the early 2000s, Cassel has also appeared in a number of English-language films, such as Shrek (as the voice of Monsieur Hood) and Birthday Girl (both 2001) Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen (2004, 2007), and Derailed (2005). He has also dubbed the voice of Diego (Denis Leary) in the Ice Age franchise and Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) in Robots.

In 2007, Cassel attracted significant critical acclaim for his performance in David Cronenberg's thriller film Eastern Promises, in which he starred opposite Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts. The film premiered on 8 September 2007 at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Audience Prize for best film on 15 September 2007.[8] Film Journal International critic Doris Toumarkine dubbed Cassel's performance "particularly delicious".[9] J. Hoberman of The Village Voice wrote that "Cassel literally flings himself into [his role]".[10]

In October 2008, Cassel was signed to be the face of a new Yves Saint Laurent men's fragrance. The new fragrance, La Nuit de l'Homme, was launched worldwide in 2009. Cassel appeared in a two-part film about Jacques Mesrine, who was France's "public enemy number one" in the seventies.[4] He won the César Award for Best Actor for his performance as Mesrine. Also that year, he starred in the Portuguese-language, Brazilian film Adrift (À Deriva), and made his debut as a singer on Zap Mama's album ReCreation, singing alongside them on the singles "Paroles, Paroles" and "Non, Non, Non".

Later work (2010s)

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The following year, in 2010, Cassel played Thomas Leroy in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed Black Swan (2010), alongside Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, which attracted considerable acclaim. For his performance in Black Swan, he was nominated alongside his cast for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

In 2011, Cassel played the lead role in the French-Spanish thriller-drama film The Monk, directed by Dominik Moll. Screen Daily praised his performance, writing that "Cassel exudes otherworldly gravitas and his singular looks are perfect for the role."[11] That year, he also starred in the German-Canadian historical film A Dangerous Method, directed by David Cronenberg; in the latter, he starred opposite Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, and Mortensen (marking their second film together). The film premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival and was also featured at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.[12][13]

Cassel at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival

In 2014, he portrayed The Beast opposite Léa Seydoux as Belle in the French-language adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. The film was screened out of competition at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[14] It was released in France on in February 2014 to positive reviews, becoming a box office success. In Japan, the film topped the box office on its release, making it the first non-English-language foreign film to top the Japanese box office since Red Cliff II in 2009, and the first French film to top the Japanese box office since Mathieu Kassovitz's The Crimson Rivers in 2001.[15]

In 2016, Cassel was featured in American action thriller film Jason Bourne, directed by Paul Greengrass; the film is the fifth installment of the Bourne film series and a direct sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box office success, grossing more than $400 million worldwide.[16] That year, he also attracted critical acclaim for his performance as Antoine in Xavier Dolan's It's Only the End of the World, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. For his work in the film, Cassel won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor;[17] he also received nominations for the César Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor, and the Jury Prize for Best Actor at the Riviera International Film Festival.[18]

In 2019, Cassel played the lead role in The Specials directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache based on the true story of Stephane Benhamou who ran an organization helping people with autism find employment and activities outside the confines of the institutionalized setting. It was screened out of competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and Cassel was nominated for the César Award for Best Actor.[19]

Recent work (2020s)

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In 2020, he portrayed trillionaire Engerrand Serac, the main antagonist of the third season of the HBO series Westworld.

In 2021, he narrated the documentary Reset, directed by Thierry Donard.[20]

In 2023, he starred in the Apple TV+ spy thriller series "Liaison" with Eva Green. In November the same year, he was revealed as the voice actor for United Nations' French agent Victor Chevalier in the upcoming 2024 video game Tekken 8,[21] making it his first role in a video game. Vincent first came to know Tekken back in the 1990s, with his favorite character being Eddy Gordo.

Personal life

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Monica Bellucci in a black dress
Tina Kunakey in a black dress
Monica Bellucci (left) was married to Cassel for 14 years.[22] Tina Kunakey (right) was married to Cassel for 5 years.

Cassel met Italian actress Monica Bellucci on the set of their 1996 film The Apartment.[23][24] They married on 2 August 1999 in Monaco.[25] They have two daughters, Deva (born 12 September 2004)[26] and Léonie (born 21 May 2010).[27] Cassel and Bellucci announced their separation on 26 August 2013.[28] Bellucci filed for divorce the same year.[22] They later divorced.[29][30] At the age of 15, Deva was Dolce & Gabbana's muse to embody their Dolce Shine perfume and later became their runway model.[31][32]

He married 21-year-old French model Tina Kunakey [fr] on 24 August 2018 in Bidart, France, after being in a relationship for more than two years.[33][34] They have a daughter, Amazonie (born 19 April 2019).[35] Cassel and Kunakey separated in 2023.[citation needed]

Besides his native French, Cassel speaks English, Portuguese, Italian, and basic conversational Russian, which he learned for his role in Eastern Promises.[36] Cassel lived in Rio de Janeiro for five years, before moving back to Paris in 2018, and he used to have Brazilian citizenship.[37][1] Cassel is known for having a great identification with Brazil, being a practitioner of the martial art of capoeira; he displayed this talent in the movie Ocean's Twelve.[38]

Cassel went to different schools, including a Catholic school, eventually becoming irreligious. He opened up about his religious views in an interview, saying: "I'm totally secular myself, and I have a tremendous respect for life. Which means that I essentially believe in God in a certain sense, but I'm not a Catholic or Jewish or Muslim. I'm without a religion."[39]

His father, Jean-Pierre Cassel, died of cancer on 19 April 2007 at age 74.[40][41]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Language Notes
1993 Métisse Max French
1995 Adultery: A User's Guide Bruno Corteggiani
La Haine Vinz Nominated – César Award for Best Actor
Nominated – César Award for Most Promising Actor
Jefferson in Paris Camille Desmoulins English
1996 L'élève Julien French
The Apartment Max
1997 Dobermann Yann le Pentrec (Dobermann)
Come mi vuoi Pasquale Italian
1998 Le Plaisir (et ses petits tracas) Michael French
Elizabeth Duc d'Anjou English
1999 Unruly [cy; es; fr; it; uk] Pitou French
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Gilles de Rais English
Guest House Paradiso Gino Bolognese
2000 The Crimson Rivers Max Kerkerian French
2001 Brotherhood of the Wolf Jean-François de Morangias
Shrek Monsieur Hood English Voice; also French dub
Birthday Girl Alexei
Read My Lips Paul French Nominated – César Award for Best Actor
2002 Ice Age Diego Voice; French dub
Irréversible Marcus Also co-producer
2004 The Reckoning Lord De Guise English
Blueberry Mike S. Blueberry
Ocean's Twelve François Toulour
Secret Agents Brisseau French
2005 Robots Rodney Copperbottom Voice; French dub
Derailed LaRoche English
2006 Sheitan Joseph French Also producer
Ice Age: The Meltdown Diego Voice; French dub
2007 Ocean's Thirteen François Toulour English
Eastern Promises Kirill
His Majesty Minor Satyre French
2008 Mesrine Jacques Mesrine César Award for Best Actor
Lumières Award for Best Actor
Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor
Étoiles d'Or Award for Best Actor
Tokyo International Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2009 Adrift Matias Portuguese
Lascars Tony Merguez Original French-language version Voice
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Diego French Voice; French dub
Planet 51 Chuck Baker Voice; French dub
2010 Our Day Will Come Patrick Also producer
Black Swan Thomas Leroy English Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2011 The Monk Capucino Ambrosio French
A Dangerous Method Otto Gross English
2012 Ice Age: Continental Drift Diego French Voice; French dub
2013 Trance Franck English
2014 Rio, I Love You Zé Portuguese
Beauty and the Beast Beast/Prince French
2015 Child 44 Major Kuzmin English
Partisan Gregori Nominated – Australian Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Tale of Tales King of Strongcliff
The Little Prince The Fox French Voice; French dub
My King Georgio Nominated – César Award for Best Actor
One Wild Moment Laurent
Violence en réunion Vince Short film
2016 It's Only the End of the World Antoine Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – César Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Jury Prize for Best Actor – Riviera International Film Festival
Ice Age: Collision Course Diego Voice; French dub
Jason Bourne Asset English
2017 O Filme da Minha Vida Nicolas Terranova Portuguese
Gauguin - Voyage de Tahiti Paul Gauguin French
2018 The World Is Yours Henri
Black Tide François Visconti
The Great Mystical Circus Jean-Paul Portuguese
Default[42] Managing director of the IMF Korean
The Emperor of Paris Eugène François Vidocq French
2019 The Specials Bruno Nominated – César Award for Best Actor
2020 Underwater Captain Lucien English
A Friendly Tale Marc French
2021 Reset[20] English Voice
2023 Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom Julius Caesar French
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Athos
The Three Musketeers: Milady
2024 Damaged Walker Bravo English
The Shrouds Karsh
TBA Sacrifice Filming[43]

Television

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Year Title Role Language Notes
2018 Porta dos Fundos James Bond Portuguese Episode: "007 in Brazil"[44]
2020 Westworld Engerraund Serac English TV series
2023 Liaison Gabriel Delage French, English Apple TV+ series
2024 Fiasco Robin Jacomet French Netflix series[45]

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2024 Tekken 8[46] Victor Chevalier

References

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  1. ^ a b Upton, George (25 October 2018). "Vincent Cassel". PORT Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020. Vincent Cassel, bearded and barefoot, is at home in these conditions – until recently he lived in Rio de Janeiro", "After five years in Brazil, Cassel is moving back to Paris to be closer to his children, Deva, 13, and Léonie, 8, where they live with their mother – he and Bellucci separated in 2013. Cassel had to renounce his Brazilian citizenship: "I've become French again, does it show?"
  2. ^ "Jean-Pierre Cassel, 74, Actor Who Starred in '60s French Comedies, Dies". The New York Times. Agence France-Presse. 21 April 2007.
  3. ^ Secher, Benjamin (28 July 2009). "Vincent Cassel interview for Mesrine". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "Vincent Cassel". Oh No They Didn't!. 28 July 2009. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  5. ^ Annabel Rivkin (20 April 2009). "French Fancy: Cécile Cassel". ES Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Vincent Cassel - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  7. ^ "L\'Appartement (1996) - JPBox-Office".
  8. ^ Tamsen Tillson (16 September 2007). "'Promises' wins best film in Toronto". Variety. Retrieved 17 September 2007.
  9. ^ Doris Toumarkine. "EASTERN PROMISES". Film Journal International. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  10. ^ J. Hoberman (11 September 2007). "Still Cronenberg". Village Voice. Archived from the original on 16 September 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  11. ^ "The Monk". Screen. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  12. ^ "TIFF 2011: U2, Brad Pitt, George Clooney Films Featured At 2011 Toronto International Film Festival". The Huffington Post. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  13. ^ Evans, Ian (2011), "A Dangerous Method TIFF premiere photos", DigitalHit.com, retrieved 12 March 2012
  14. ^ "Berlinale 2014: Competition Complete". berlinale. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  15. ^ Kevin Ma (12 November 2014). "Beauty and the Beast, Twilight top Japan B.O." Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (7 October 2016). "'Jason Bourne' Seizes $400M Worldwide; Int'l Take Sets Franchise Record". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  17. ^ Furdyk, Brent (12 March 2017). "2017 Canadian Screen Awards: And The Winners Are…". ET Canada. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  18. ^ "2017 Cesar Awards - Nominees". 24 February 2017.
  19. ^ "Cannes festival 2019: full list of films". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Reset | NDG Cinema (Nuit de la Glisse)". ndgcinema.com. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  21. ^ @TEKKEN (2 November 2023). "With him, violence is à la carte. Victor Chevalier, voiced by Vincent Cassel, slices his way into the #TEKKEN8 roster! Pre-order TEKKEN 8 🤜 https://bnent.eu/Preorder-TEKKE..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2 November 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ a b Gonçalves, Virginie (26 July 2019). "Monica ..." [Monica Bellucci reveals why she divorced Vincent Cassel]. Gala. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Clap de fin ." [End clap between Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci]. CNews (in French). 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel To Divorce After 14 Years". The Huffington Post. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  25. ^ Lévy-Frébault, Tiphaine (26 August 2013). "En Images ..." [In images. Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci, the end of the Dolce Vita]. L'Express (in French). Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  26. ^ Stephen M. Silverman (14 September 2004). "Passion Actress Bellucci Has Baby Girl". People. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  27. ^ Peter Mikelbank (24 May 2010). "Monica Bellucci Welcomes Daughter Léonie". People. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  28. ^ "Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel To Divorce After 14 Years". The Huffington Post. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2021. In a statement released to the Agence France-Presse, Cassel's rep confirmed the 46-year-old actor and his wife are separating by 'mutual agreement'.
  29. ^ "Monica Bellucci ..." [Monica Bellucci talks about her successful divorce from Vincent Cassel]. Voici (in French). 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  30. ^ Robey, Tim (28 May 2016). "Vincent Cassel: 'Women like security. Men prefer adventure'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  31. ^ Dilou, Marie (2019). "Deva ..." [Deva Cassel: Monica Bellucci's daughter, muse of the new Dolce & Gabbana perfume]. Marie Claire (in French). Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  32. ^ Trissot, Capucine (11 July 2022). "Deva ..." [Deva Cassel walks the runway for Dolce & Gabbana under the tender eyes of Monica Bellucci]. Elle (in French). Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  33. ^ "French Model Tina Kunakey Wears Custom Vera Wang at Her Wedding to Actor Vincent Cassel". Vogue. 24 August 2018.
  34. ^ "Vincent Cassel en couple avec Tina Kunakey : Il officialise avec sa nouvelle compagne - Elle". 2 December 2016.
  35. ^ Mikelbank, Peter (19 April 2019). "Vincent Cassel Is a Dad Again! Actor and Wife Tina Kunakey Welcome Daughter Amazonie". People.
  36. ^ Elizabeth Day (4 February 2012). "Vincent Cassel: 'You can't escape from what you are'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  37. ^ Schneller, Johanna (5 April 2013). "Vincent Cassel: a movie star who makes Hollywood look boring". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2020. Cassel is taking another break from France – he and his family recently moved to Rio de Janeiro.
  38. ^ Thelma Adams (13 December 2010). "Vincent Cassel: A Q&A With the Black Swan Star". The Huffington Post. USA. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  39. ^ "French Star Vincent Cassel on the Leap from Perennial Bad Guy to (Jewish) Hero". Haaretz.
  40. ^ "Jazz ..." [Jazz and emotion for the funeral of Jean-Pierre Cassel]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 26 April 2007. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  41. ^ "L'acteur ..." [Actor Jean-Pierre Cassel swept away by cancer]. Le Devoir (in Canadian French). 21 April 2007. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  42. ^ Frater, Patrick (4 December 2017). "Vincent Cassel Joins Top Korean Cast in 'Sovereign Default'". Variety. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  43. ^ Hollywood Stars Flock to Greece for New Netflix Movie ‘Sacrifice’
  44. ^ "Tem francês no Porta dos Fundos: Vincent Cassel grava com humoristas - Telepadi". telepadi.folha.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 13 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  45. ^ "Fiasco". Canneseries. 12 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  46. ^ @TEKKEN (2 November 2023). "With him, violence is à la carte. Victor Chevalier, voiced by Vincent Cassel, slices his way into the #TEKKEN8 roster! Pre-order TEKKEN 8 🤜 https://bnent.eu/Preorder-TEKKE..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2 November 2023 – via Twitter.
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